Congaree National Park, NC

Congaree National Park protects the largest remaining old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeast. Much of the rest have been harvested over the years but this swampy lowland has protected much of the trees from being cut down. It contains a large concentration of state and national record holding trees and provides habitat for several endangered species. The park is named for the Congaree Indians who inhabited this region.

The main attraction is a 2.5 mile elevated boardwalk hike around the floodplain area where you can view the flora and fauna that call this swampy region home. We hiked the trail during the colder months and besides some birds and squirrels we didn't see many animals. The size of some of the Loblolly Pine trees were very impressive with one at least rising over 150 feet over our heads!

Overall, this isn't going to be one of our favorite national parks. I'm a bit partial to mountains and interesting geologic formations!